Funded Projects

Currently Funded Projects

The Deep Carbon Observatory (DCO) is a ten-year global quest to discover the quantity, movements, origins, and forms of Earth’s deep carbon; to probe the secrets of volcanoes and diamonds, sources of gas and oil, and life’s deep limits and origins; and to report the known, unknown, and unknowable by 2019.. The DCO leverages the knowledge and skills of a global, interdisciplinary research community of scientists from around the globe with a shared passion for transforming our knowledge of carbon—the most versatile and influential of all chemical elements, yet one whose nature, extent, and behavior remain largely unexplored at the planetary scale. The Office of Marine Programs hosts the Engagement Team for DCO and is responsible for a wide range of engagement and communications initiatives supporting the growing DCO Science Network in carrying out its own work in contemporary, exemplary, and efficient fashion and in sharing the results with audiences within and beyond the scientific community.

The Center for Dark Energy Biosphere Investigations (C-DEBI) is a National Science Foundation-funded Science and Technology Center focused on the deep subseafloor biosphere. C-DEBI's mission is to explore life beneath the seafloor and make transformative discoveries that advance science, benefit society, and inspire people of all ages and origins. The URI Office of Marine Programs' Metcalf Institute is working with C-DEBI scientists to develop concise "science backgrounders" explaining the Center's four research themes, distribute these backgrounders to the news media, and to assist C-DEBI researchers in sharing their results with the press and the general public.

The Rhode Island Teacher-At-Sea (RITAS) Program is designed to establish sustainable partnerships between ocean scientists, researchers and educators who live and teach in Rhode Island. Teachers selected for the RITAS Program become part of scientific research teams conducting ocean science research cruises aboard the R/V ENDEAVOR. RITAS is funded through the Rhode Island ENDEAVOR Program.

The Metcalf Institute advances the scientific knowledge of journalists to help improve reporting of global environmental issues. Metcalf Institute offers week-long training fellowships for reporters; year-long fellowships for minority journalists; seminars for editors; a monthly e-newsletter and tip sheets; public presentations on environmental science, journalism and public policy; and an annual prize for excellence in reporting on the environment. Metcalf Institute activities are funded by federal grants, foundations and private and corporate donations.

Recently Funded Projects

The Census of Marine Life was a global network of researchers in more than 80 nations engaged in a ten-year initiative to assess and explain the diversity, distribution, and abundance of marine life in the oceans - past, present, and future. OMP led the international education and outreach effort for the Census of Marine Life. OMP's role in the Census was funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.

The ARMADA Project, funded by the National Science Foundation and administered by OMP, provided K-12 teachers from across the U.S. with opportunities to actively participate in ocean, polar, and environmental science research and peer mentoring. Master Teachers developed ways to bring the fruits of their research experiences, including scientific data, methodologies, and technology into their classrooms. They shared their experience by mentoring new teachers in their school district and by presenting their results at National Science Teachers Association National Conventions.